U.S. may have to decriminalize prostitution per U.N. Treaty

If the U.S. Senate passes the UN Convention the was adopted by the U.N.
General Assembly and has been signed by 165 countries this could force the
U.S. to acknowledge voluntary prostitution is a legal women’s choice as
well as a women’s right to choose of abortion. If passed the U.S. would
have to accept these human rights as the treaty provides.

The following summary is from a religious right group, Concerned Women of
America (CWA) who of course oppose any such rights of women and want to
keep them from having control over their own bodies.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women

SOURCE: http://cwfa.org/library/nation/2000-09_pp_cedaw.shtml

The U.N. General Assembly adopted CEDAW on December 18, 1979. President
Jimmy Carter signed it in 1980. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed
it on September 29, 1994, but the full Senate has not ratified it. So far,
165 countries have signed the treaty, legally binding them to implement
its provisions.1

CWA (Strong opponents “Concerned Women of America) is convinced that, if
the Senate ever ratifies CEDAW, the federal government would allow it to
supersede all federal and state laws, as evidenced by past federal court
rulings.4

Part V (Articles 17-22) of CEDAW outlines the creation of a Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to oversee the implementation
of CEDAW in every signatory nation. This Committee consists of "23 experts
of high and moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention"
whom representatives of the Convention signatories elect. This, in essence,
places the welfare and well being of American women and families at the
mercy of 23 individuals, among whom the United States might not even have
a voice.

CEDAW legally binds every signatory country to implement its provisions.
After signing, each country must submit an initial report with a detailed
and comprehensive description of the state of its women, "a benchmark against
which subsequent progress can be measured."5 This initial report should
include legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures the signatory
nation has adopted to comply with CEDAW. The country must submit follow-up
reports at least every four years.

Treaty Provisions Includes

Legalized Prostitution
Article 11, section 1(c) of the treaty upholds "the right to free choice
of profession and employment." The Committee has included "voluntary" prostitution
in that "free choice"—to the detriment of needy women around the world.
It has called upon China to "decriminalize prostitution,"38 expressing concern
that it is often the "result of poverty."39 Also, while it urged Germany
"to recognize that trafficked women and girls are victims of human rights
violations in need of protection,"40 it also expressed concern "that although
they are legally obliged to pay taxes, prostitutes still do not enjoy the
protection of labor and social law."41 Even more blatant, its report on
Greece stated, "While noting positively the fact that prostitution is decriminalized
and instead is dealt with in a regulatory manner, the Committee is concerned
that inadequate structures exist to ensure compliance with regulatory framework."42

Abortion
Articles 12 and 14 (section 2b) seek "to ensure, on a basis of equality
of men and women, access to health care services, including those related
to family planning." This document was written in the late 1970s, and time
has shown that "family planning" rhetoric means access to abortion services.

And we have witnessed how that liberal sexual mentality gave birth to the
abortion mentality in the 1970s. The advocates that pushed hardest for the
"normalization" of abortion now seek to push it on a global level. CEDAW
has been a key tool in doing just that.

The Religious Right’s Fight Against CEDAW

Although President Carter signed CEDAW in 1980, and it passed out of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1994, the Senate has not yet ratified
this treaty. Much thanks is due to Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina),
chairman of the foreign relations committee. On May 11, 2000, just before
Mother’s Day, Sen. Helms introduced a "sense of the Senate" to reject CEDAW
because it "demeans motherhood and undermines the traditional family."

Advocates have not ceased in their quest to ratify the treaty, however.
On April 12, 2000, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced a "sense
of the Senate" to hold hearings and act on CEDAW. S.Res.286 had 34 cosponsors.

The U.S. Constitution allows the president to enter into treaties with two-thirds
Senate approval. It also requires the Senate to have a quorum, a majority
(51), present to conduct business. Thus, with 51 senators present, CEDAW
would need a minimum of 34 approving senators to ratify it.43 You can guess
who—depending on whether they survive the next election—would attend the
vote were CEDAW to come to the Senate floor.

President Clinton issued Executive Order 13107, "Implementation of Human
Rights Treaties," on December 10, 1998. He then established an Interagency
Working Group, with representatives from major federal departments, to implement
America’s alleged "obligations" under U.N. treaties on human rights "to
which the United States is now or may become a party in the future [emphasis
added]."45

Footnotes deleted but seek link for the more detailed report and footnotes.
This excerpt, with full credit, is being shared under the Fair Use provision
of the U.S. Copyright laws and International treaties for educational purposes
and for no financial gain.